SAME RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 1 19 of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/201 ,721 , filed on August 6, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD The technical field generally relates to protective cardboard corners.

BACKGROUND

Protective cardboard corners, or angleboard, are commonly used in the packaging industry to protect or reinforce the edges of articles such as parcels, cartons and pallets during their transit from one place to another. For example, they are commonly used in the agricultural industry, to package stacks of crates over pallets.

One of the drawbacks of the aforementioned protective cardboard corners is that they need to be held against the edges of the article while the article is further packaged with a stretchable film, a tensioned belt or strap, or another type of securing mechanism. The step of positioning and holding the protective corner boards onto the edges of products to be packaged is time consuming, difficult to perform by a single worker, and often results in the protective corners being incorrectly positioned. One option known in the art to ensure that the cardboard corners are held properly onto the article before they are secured and/or wrapped, is to apply an adhesive on the inner sidewalls of the protective corners, such that they can stick against the edges of the article prior to being further packaged with the securing mechanism. However, adding the adhesive on the inner side of the corners comes with additional costs, which is undesirable since protective corners are typically viewed as a low-cost commodity that adds no or little value to the product being shipped. Another option known in the art is the use of automated systems to install and hold the protective cardboard corners onto the edges of the articles being packaged, but such a solution is costly and not adapted to industries where packaging is typically performed manually by workers.

Therefore, considering the above, there is a need for an improved cardboard corner in order to overcome at least some of the mentioned drawbacks.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the invention, an improved protective cardboard corner for protecting an edge of an article is provided. The protective cardboard corner comprises a longitudinal cardboard body with opposed first and second extremities. The body is folded longitudinally, thus forming a first wing and a second wing. The longitudinal cardboard body has an apex from which the first and second wings extend and outer edges bordering the first and second wings. At least one cut is provided in at least one of the first or second wings near the first extremity, the at least one cut extending from one of the outer edges of the longitudinal cardboard body, and the at least one cut forming at least one foldable portion for resting against a top surface of the article.

Preferably, the at least one cut extends transversally from one of the longitudinal edges of the cardboard corner, up to or close to the apex. It is however possible for the at least one cut to extend longitudinally from the transverse edge bordering the first extremity of the protective corner board. In some embodiments, the at least one cut comprises two cuts: the first cut extends from the first longitudinal edge of the body up to a location proximate the apex, and the second cut extends from the second longitudinal edge of the body up to a location proximate the apex. The first and second cuts are preferably substantially aligned with one another. Furthermore, the at least one cut preferably has a width between about 0.1 and 3 cm.

In some embodiments, the at least one cut is located within 5 cm below the first extremity, the first extremity being located close to the top surface of the article when the foldable portion of the protective cardboard corner is resting against the top surface of the article.

In some embodiments, the first or second wing of the protective cardboard corner has a transversal length between about 0.5 and 5 cm.

In some embodiments, the transversal length of the first and second wings of the protective cardboard corner is substantially identical. In some embodiments, the cardboard of the protective cardboard corner is made of a plurality of plies.

In some embodiments, the cardboard of the protective cardboard corner has a thickness between about 0.1 and 1 .2 cm.

In some embodiments, the apex of the protective cardboard corner has a resistance force between about 35 and 350 kg.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing an improved protective cardboard corner as described above for resting against a top surface of an article is provided. The method comprises a step of providing a longitudinal cardboard body folded longitudinally along an apex from which a first wing and a second wing extend, the longitudinal cardboard body having outer edges bordering the first and second wings; and a step of incising at least one cut in at least one of the first or second wings of the protective cardboard corner, the at least one cut extending from one of the outer edges and forming a foldable portion for resting against the top surface of the article.

Preferably, the method is an in-line method wherein the cut(s) is(are) incised in the first or(and) second wing during the manufacturing of the protective cardboard corner, in a continuous process. Preferably, the method also includes the steps of forming the protective cardboard corner from several plies folded longitudinally to form the first and second wings. In some embodiments, the at least one cut is performed before or after cutting the protective cardboard corner to a final length.

In some embodiments, the at least one cut comprises a first cut and a second cut, the first cut extending from a first longitudinal edge of the body up to a location proximate the apex, and the second cut extending from a second longitudinal edge of the body up to a location proximate the apex, the first and second cuts preferably being substantially aligned with one another.

In some embodiments, the first and the second cut are incised in the first and second wings of the protective cardboard corner simultaneously or sequentially.

According to another aspect, there is provided a method for protecting the vertical edge of an article, comprising: a. placing the protecting cardboard corner described above along the vertical edge of the article such that the foldable portion rests against the top surface of the article; and b. securing the article with a securing mechanism.

In some embodiments, the securing mechanism is a stretchable film or a tension belt. In some embodiments, each longitudinal edge of the article is protected by a respective protecting cardboard corner.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood upon reading of preferred implementations thereof, with reference to the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It is noted that the appended drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a perspective side view showing a portion of a protective cardboard corner, illustrating cuts in both wings of the corner.

Fig. 2 is another side view of the protective cardboard corner, showing the first and second cut portions of the wings folded inwardly. Fig. 3 is a top perspective view of the protective cardboard corner shown in use, with its first and second foldable portions folded inwardly to form a support resting on top of an article.

Fig. 4 is a close-up view of the protective cardboard corner of Fig.3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an article protected by four protective cardboard corners, each with a foldable support resting on the top surface of the article.

Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of a system and method for manufacturing a protective corner, according to a possible embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to Figs. 1 -5, a protective cardboard corner 20 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. A protective cardboard corner is also referred to in the industry as an "angle board" or "edge board". The protective corner board of the invention is especially useful for the packaging and/or palletization of merchandise during which corners or edges of articles are protected with cardboard corners, prior to being wrapped with stretch film or secured with straps. In the example provided, the protective cardboard corner 20 includes first and second extremities or ends 36 and 38 (identified in Fig. 5) and outer/peripheral edges bordering or delimiting the cardboard body. The outer edges include first and second longitudinal edges 6 and 8 (identified in Figs. 1 and 2) as well as first and second transverse edges 5 and 7. The protective cardboard corner 20 is folded longitudinally, forming a first wing 16 and a second wing 18 intersecting at an apex 28. The first and second wings may also be referred as "sides" or "legs".

In the example illustrated, a first cut or slit 24 is provided in the first wing 16 and a second cut 26 is provided in the second wing 18, so that a portion of the first wing 16 becomes a first foldable and mobile "portion" or wing 10 and a portion of the second wing 18 becomes a second foldable and mobile "portion" or wing 12. While not as practical, it is possible to form only one cut near the extremity of the corner board, since one foldable portion (or tab) is sufficient to allow the corner board to rest in place atop an article. Preferably, the cuts 24 and 26 in each of the wings 16 and 18 extend from the longitudinal edges 6 and 8 to a location proximate to the apex 28 and are substantially aligned with one another. The foldable wings 10 and 12 remain attached to the apex 28 and are capable of folding inwardly about the longitudinal axis 14 of the protective cardboard corner 20. The cuts 24 and 26 have a transverse length that is sufficient to allow the foldable wings 10 and 12 to fold inwardly, preferably between about 0.5 and 5 cm. As can be appreciated, by pinching and/or folding the first and second foldable wings 10 and 12 one towards the other, a support 34 is created, which allows the protective cardboard corner 20 to rest against the top surface 30 of an article 32.

Yet in other embodiments, it is possible to form one or more cuts longitudinally in the wings 16 and 18 of the corner board, such that the foldable portions form "fingers" designed to hang on top of the article to protect.

Since the protective cardboard corner 20 is stabilized with the support 34 created by the foldable wings 10 and 12, it is possible to secure the article with a stretchable film, a tensioned belt or any other type of securing mechanism, without requiring someone or an automated system to hold the corners in place while securing the corners, and without having to use any glue or adhesive to maintain them in place.

In order for the support 34 to rest on the top surface 30 of the article 32, the cuts 24 and 26 are provided preferably within 10 cm, and preferably within 5 cm below the transverse edge 5 bordering the first extremity 36. The transverse length of the first wing 10 or the second wing 12 is sufficient to allow the wings 10 and 12 to create the support 34. The wing length can vary between 2.5 cm and 10cm (or from 1x1 inch up to 4x4 inches) and thus the transverse length of the foldable portions can vary between 1 and 9 cm. Moreover, the transverse length of each of the first and second foldable portions 10 and 12 is preferably substantially equal, in order to provide a more stable support 34.

As an example, for wings having a wing length of about 3.8 cm (or 1 . 5 inch), the length of the cut (and thus of the foldable portion) can be of about 2 to 3.5 cm. Preferably, the cut extends up to or very close to the apex, such that the portion of the cardboard located between the cut and the transverse edge is easier to fold. Typically, the thickness and/or type of cardboard plies are selected such that the wings of the corners are rigid and thus a cut that does not extend sufficiently in the wings may result in a tab that is more difficult to fold. Preferably, the length of the cut corresponds to 50 to 80% of the length of a wing 16, 18. The length of the protective cardboard corner 20 is variable and may be chosen according to the length of the article to protect. The longitudinal length of the cardboard corner can vary from 5cm to more than 2.5m (i.e. from about 2 inches to more than 100 inches).

Of course, the dimensions provided above are provided as examples, and the longitudinal and transverse length of the corner body, of the wings, and of the foldable portions can vary according to the specific applications for which the protective corner boards are to be used. The protective cardboard corner 20 may be made of cardboard made of a plurality of plies or other types of cardboard that would be suitable for the embodiments described herein. The cardboard may have a thickness between about 0.1 and 1 .2 cm, and preferably between 0.5 and 1 cm (or 0.06 to 0.4 inch) such that the protective cardboard corner 20 protects the article adequately. Furthermore, the apex may have a resistance force between about 35 and 350 kg, such that the article is adequately protected from an impact. The protective cardboard corner 20 may also comprise a gloss, a water-repellent or a plastic finish. Still preferably, the cardboard may include a core made of a thick ply of cardboard, with one or several thinner plies wrapped or folded around the core. Referring to Fig. 6, a schematic representation of the system and method for manufacturing the protective cardboard corner 20 described herein is shown. The system 100 includes conventional sub-systems for manufacturing a protective cardboard corner 20, i.e. a sub-system 102 for providing a plurality of plies 40; a sub-system 104 for applying adhesive on the plies 40; a sub-system 106 for laminating the paperboard plies with the adhesive into a paperboard sheet 42; and a sub-system 108 for folding the paperboard plies into a protective cardboard corner 20. The system also includes a sub-system 1 10 comprising a cutting tool for cutting one or two wings 16, 18 of the protective cardboard corner 20 by practicing one or two cuts 24, 26 extending up close to a location proximate to the apex. Preferably, the two cuts 24, 26 are incised such that they are substantially aligned with one another. The wings 16, 18 may be cut simultaneously or sequentially. A second sub-system 1 12 for cutting the protective cardboard corner 20 to its final length is provided after the sub-system 1 10. It is also possible to position the second sub-system 1 12 upstream of 1 10, such that the protective cardboard corner 20 is cut to its final length before the first and/or second cuts 24, 26 are incised. Both sub-systems 1 10 and 1 12 may also be combined into a single system.